Cadet Jeff Wright is the regimental
adjutant. A political science major, he is currently an intern in
the public affairs office.

Lowcountry
high school and middle school students painstakingly engineered and crafted
intricate model bridges using only craft sticks and carpenter’s
glue. For many weeks they worked, looking forward to the time when Citadel
cadets would destroy their creations.

Cadet
John Lester measures a student's bridge during registration.

Such
was the order of the day at the 2003 Lowcountry Bridge Building Competition
held at The Citadel February 15th. Students from around the Lowcountry
designed their bridges to withstand the maximum weight possible, while
keeping a close eye on the weight of the bridge. To test the strength
of each bridge, cadets added sand to a device that transferred the weight
directly on to the bridge until it collapsed.

In
addition to maximum load, students were judged on strength to weight ratio,
lightest bridge, most original design, best craftsmanship, and most realistically
constructible. The most efficient bridges had a strength ratio of
more than 1000:1.

The
last moments of a student's bridge. Cadets Moises Gamez (behind the
bridge) and John Daly keep a close eye on a bridge that has begun
to fail. (Note the broken support on the right side of the bridge.)

Professional
engineers were on hand to talk to the students about the science behind
their bridges. Fred Beasley, the construction project manager of a new
hotel on Kiawah Island, enthusiastically drew upon his two decades of
experience to assist the students. Mason Prep students asked him for advice
before building their bridges, and all students utilized his expertise
on Saturday, coming to him for advice on how to improve their bridges.

Even
though the students were restricted by a weight limit of 400g per bridge
(1.3 pounds), several bridges held weights in excess of 600 pounds. These
bridges were taken to LeTellier Hall to the Universal Testing Machine,
which produces a maximum pressure of 600,000 pounds.

Student
Kenneth Ravenell from Timberland High School won the award for maximum
weight held. His craft stick bridge held 365,000g (805 pounds) of weight,
with a ratio of 1035:1. Kenneth also won second place in both of the divisions
with his second bridge, and his combined successes yielded more trophies
than the 15-year-old student could carry by himself.

"We
want the students to come
away from this competition
excited about the field."

Col.
Dennis Fallon, dean of the School of Engineering and former head of the
Department of Civil Engineering, said that the event was a good way to
cultivate student interest in engineering. “There are many capable
people being turned off [from engineering] by a lack of publicity,”
Fallon said. “We want the students to come away from this competition
excited about the field.”

Student
excitement was apparent, even as they departed campus, talking about improvements
to make for next year’s competition.